Cane Toads & Sin.

Recently I received the following e-mail: “Hi Walter: Big news in the US is about the Australian Monster toad. How it was brought to Australia from South America in the 30s and how it was to kill your pest beetles, but now has become a pest themselves by killing the animals that are good.

According to the way you blog, I thought of how sin messes around with pests and it seems okay, then it gradually begins to contaminate the good.

Our information says the toad is 15 inches long and has killed millions of animals.

The "monster cane toad" is poisonous and SO IS SIN.”

As I read the above, I thought that it was a good analogy but one I hadn’t thought of, as Cane Toads are not a problem in Melbourne. We have been told that they will be, but as yet not so, and appear to be heading west across Australia where it is warmer, rather than coming down to the cold South.

So, although they are a problem to some they aren’t to us and thus someone else’s problem and not one for me to worry about.

A little while back in my Bible reading, I came across the story where God through his prophet, told King Hezekiah that all his riches and the Kingdom would be stripped from him and the people taken into captivity into Babylon, but that God would delay this punishment until after his death.

Hezekiah’s response was, “Is it not good, if peace and truth be in my days? (2 Kings 20: 19.)”

At the time I thought that Hezekiah’s response was a lot like us today, but I could not think of an illustration to demonstrate that. Now thanks to my American friend I have not one but two illustrations.

Firstly as my friend pointed out that sin (falling short of what is properly required of you) is not just your problem but the problem of others if not corrected. The Cane Toad was introduced to correct one sin/failing in one particular area, yet in turn has created other problems over half the Continent of Australia. Introducing failings into our lives is like letting Cane Toads into our Country. At first they may seem helpful, then a slight nuisance when their numbers increase, to becoming a full scale problem when they crowd out and kill the good things in our country and our lives.

Our failings, like the Cane Toads, will get out of control if we either ignore then or deny that they are a problem, till it becomes not only too obvious to deny but sometimes like currently with the Cane Toads, almost impossible to control let alone eradicate.

The second illustration I have is myself. As A Melbournian, without Cane Toads already under foot, I just didn’t recognize the enormity of the problem that Cane Toads not only can do but are already doing to the rest of MY country.

What about you? What problems are there around you that you can deal with now? Rather than leave them for the next generation or the one after that? Over to you: Walter